Tool-rod



E. R. SCHWARZ AND A. J. MARTEN-AY. I

TOOL ROD.

APPLICATION F1LED FEB.6, 1919. RENEWED JULY 3,1920.

1,350,425. Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 22 7 /0 //5 i /9 4 ili|li J [A/ vi/vrams 1 UNITED STATES- PATENTbFFICE.

EMERICH n. SGHWAIRZ AND ALrIIoNsE J. MARTENAY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. I

, TOOL-ROD.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

I Application filed Februarye, 1919, Serial No. 275,468. Renewed July 3,1920. Serial No. 394,014.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, EMERICH R. SoIIwARz andALPHONSE J. MARTENAY, Oltl Zens of the United States, residing atChicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Tool-Rods, of which thefollowingis a specification. I

Our invention relates-to tool rods and has for its primary object theprovision ofan improved actuating rod for tools which require pushingthrough tubular passageways frequently curved or bent or opening intosmall. cramped quarters whereby the tool may be driven around a curve orbend in the tube or may be bent through a convenient number of angles inorder to gain access to the farther obstructed end of the tube withoutmaterially altering the thrust transmitting function of the rod. Afurther object is the provision of an improved construction for toolrods whereby such a rod may be bent to a convenient number of degreesand be operated as a single rigid ele ment in its bent condition. Afurther object is the provision of an improved tool rod constructionwhereby the various parts thereof are so connected as to reduce to aminimum the cross sectional area at its joints and wherebysimplicity,compactness and cheapness of manufacture areattained. Anotherobject is the provision of an improved type of side plate for joiningthe sections of the improved rod whereby the hand of the-operator isprotected from injury by reason of being pinched between the meetingsurfaces of adjacent sections.

Other objects and advantages of the in-' vention will appear from thefollowing description taken in conjunctionwith the ac companyingdrawings which form a part of this specification and illustrate'thepreferred embodiment of the invention. 'The invention is particularlyapplicable for the operation of fine cleaners for boilers, -scrap-'ingtools for sewers and the like, and as a" thrust; rod for carryingcablesi through' underground electricconduits. In the drawings: 7 IFigure 1 is a slde elevation of the'invention showing two sections ofthe rod and portions of two other sections. Q Fig-'2 is a side elevationof the parts shown in Fig; 1 illustratin the relation" of these parts inthe bentcon ition of the rod.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section of a modified form of the rod.

Reference numeral 10 indicates generally the tool rod of the presentinvention comprising identical sections, 11, 12, 13 and 1 1.

In the normal position of the rod the sec tions 11 to 1 1- comprise-aseries of straight bars alined to form the straight rod 10, these barsbeing rectangular in side elevation with the exception thatcorresponding corners of the ends of adjacent sections are beveled awayas indicated at 15 and 16, the bevels being opposite each other on thesame side of rod 10 and extending not more than half way from thebeveled side of rod 10 to the opposite side. I

The sections are joined together by means of side plates 17 positionedin pairs, the plates of each pair being disposed one on each side of therod 10, in register with each other, and overlapping the abutted ends ofadjacent sections. In the construction shown in Figs. 1,2 and 3, thepair of plates joining sections 11 and 12 for example are fixedlysecured to section 12' by a rivet 18 traversing the lower left handcorner of section 12, entirely within the edges of the section and'nearthe bevel 16; and also by a rivet 19 one-half of which isembedded in theend of'section 12 and the other half of which fits within a socket 21cut for its a'ccommodation in the adjacent end of section 11. The pairof plates 17 joining sections 11 and 12, or any other adjacent pair ofsections in Figs. '1, 2 and 3, are fixed with respect to section 12, andsection'll is pivotally joined to the side plates 17 and section 12 bymeans of a pivot-pin 22, which may be a rivet similar to the rivets 18and' 19 or passing loosely through section 11 at the same distance fromeither edge of rod 10 as rivet 18. Section 11' is pivotally movable withrespect' to section 12 and side plates 17, and in the same mannersection 12 is pivotally movable with respect to section 13 audthe sideplates 17 are connected wlth sections 12 and 13; sections 13 and 14 andall other sections of rod 10' are similarly connected. The bevels'15 and'16 extend inwardly from the ends of each section a distance sufficientto permit this pivotal movement but not so far as to allow one sectionto assume a right angle with an adjacent v section into true alinement;

5 5 f invention illustrated in Fig; 4: the a n-gular movement ofthe'sections' with respect to eachiother is limitedby ultimate contactbe: I

section; preferably these bevel s are so shaped as to limit relativemovement of adjacent'sections so that these sections stand' at an"angle'of approximately 22!; degrees 5 to each other. Thus, in a rodconstructed maybe used as a flexible flue cleaner or for any otherpurpose where similar devices may according to the principles of ourinvention,

the sections can be so pivoted with relation to each otherth'at-thefirst and fifthse'ctions stand at right-angles to each other, or the- 10second and sixth; in other words the bevels further bending by :reas'onof contact :be-

tween thebevelsfl5, and 16 ofeeach; of their abutted sections; a 3

In the modified form shown in Fig. isecs tions 31 and 732,-; havingbevels 35 and '36 V 20 identical withbeve1s'15 and 16, are-joined bypivot-pins 38 and 42 respectively, vwhich engage side plates 17, eachsection belng free for'pivotal niovementw1th respect to I the othersections and to the side plates 17. The pivot-pins 38 and 42 occupy thesame. relative positionswith respect to sections 31'-v and 32 asare-occupied by rivet 18 and pivot 22 in respect to sections 1'2 and 11.Side plates 17 insFig; 4: are also joined near the 89 upper edges ofsections 31 and .32,"by means of a rivet 29, cyl ndrical in crosssectlon and having its axis positioned in the vertical. plane defined bythe meeting end surfaces of sections 31 and 32 in the normal alined posi35 tionsofthose sections. Inasmuch as sections 31 and 32 are bothpivotally attached'to the side plates .17, itj nay happen that inreturning the sections to alined positionvafter they have been angularlyoffset with respect to 40 eachfother, the sections will not ,be in trueal i nement. "Injorder to bring them into alinement'and also for thepurpose of ac-i' cornmodating rivetf29 between the abutted ends ofsections 31 and32, we provide in the:

' end, of each {section a recess 41- comprising angularlyrela-tedbeveled sides 43 and-44,

each of which-also stands at an angle-with respect to therneeting endsurfaces of the sect ons. In bringing the sections 31 and ;32-into'alinement the bevels 43' and 44m operated as cams against rivet 29 toforce that rivetto thebotto'm of the recess in one sectlon, andsubsequently to guide the other In the'form tweenbevels 35; and 36 and aslight; amount of play is also permitted-between, the sec-- 6Q.itionsjjso-that they may be oifsetwithre'spect to; each other and thusr'enderedino're useful i Q; qtrated jin- ;Figs.l 1,2 4,, thereby:forming aguard to prevent pinching of the fingers of bev els 15 and 16and bevels 35 and 3 6.

It. will be understood that our tool rod or can be used to anyadvantage. For example, a flue: cleaning device of any well known typemay be attached to an end section of rod 10 and thrust through a flue,and should the flue be curved, the rod will bend in conformity with thecurve as shown in Fig.2, losing none of its thrust conveying advantages.Should the turn in the fiue be .lessthan a-rightangle contactbetwe'enthose portions-of side platesrl? which extend beyond the edgesof the rod and the wall of the 'fiue will limit curvature in the rod sothat a thrust upon the rod isconvyed around the turn to the flue cleaneron the farther end section. Attention ishere drawn not only form guardsfor the protection of the fingers of the hand of the operator butlikewise form arcuate guide members which contact with the wall ofthe-fiueor conduit 7 the axis of a straight fine, so that at'the bot-'tom of a man-hole where space is lacking for use of a straight rodorrlong sections of straight rod, the sections 1 1, 12, 13, 14, and soforth, of our rodmay'be bent to permit the whole rod to pass into thestraight flue regardless of the fact that a fixed wall is positionedclose to andopnosite the end of thefluep Obviously our 'rodmay'beconstructed with" its sections of any desired length butin any one rodweprefer that the variouslsections be of equallengthj' Vhile we haveillustrated and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, itis. obvious that one skilled in the art may make modification thereofwithout depart ing from-the-spirit-of the invention." We wish thereforenot to. be restricted Ttothe precise; embodiment shown, exceptin so faras the same islimited'inthe appendedf claims. a (ilaiifnit v i" l A l11.; In? a, tool rod.,: the combination with alined rod sections havingends-abutting against each: other through; part of their meetingsurfaces"and beveled; from each other throngh:.-t he. remainder-of their opposite end surfaces, of side plates one on each side of said rodoverlapping the sections, said sections being connected through the sideplates at points remote from the edges thereof to permit relativeangular movement of the sections.

2. In a tool rod, the combination with alined rod sections having endsabutting against each other through part of their meeting surfaces andbeveled from each other through the remainder of their opposite endsurfaces, of side plates one on each side of said rod overlapping thesections, said sections being connected through the side plates topermit relative angular movement of the sections, said relative angularmovement being limited by contact between the beveled end portions ofadjacent sections.

3. In a tool rod, the combination with end abutted alined rod sectionshaving corresponding portions of their opposite end surfaces beveledfrom each other, of side plates one on each side of the rod overlappingboth sections, said side plates being fixedly secured to one of thesections and pivotally connected to the other section.

4. In a tool rod, the combination of a'pair of end abutted rectangularrod sections, a portion of the opposite ends of said sections beingbeveled from each other at corresponding corners of said sections, of apair of side plates one on each side of the rod, a pair of rivetsextending through one section of the rod and said side plates to bindthe plates rigidly to said section and a pivot-pin traversing the othersection and said side plates, one of said rivets and said pivot beingpositioned equidistant from a given edge of said rod and adjacent thebeveled end portions of the sections.

5. In a tool rod, the combination with spaced parallel side plates, ofend abutted rod sections meeting within the perimeter of the sideplates, a pair of rivets each traversing one of the sections and bothside plates to pivotally connect the sections to the side plates; arivet remote from the pivotpins and having its axis positioned in theplane defined by the meeting ends of said sections, said sections beingeach recessed for accommodation of the rivet, the recesses comprisingeach two angularly related flat surfaces upon any one of which the rivetis positioned to slide and to bring the sections into alinement, saidsections having corresponding opposite corners beveled from each otherat a point remote from the rivet and adjacent to said pivots.

6. The combination with end abutted rod sections having oppositeportions of their end surfaces beveled from each other at correspondingedges of the sections, of a pair of side plates positioned one on eachside of the sections and each overlapping both sections and in registerwith each other, said side plates comprising circular disks of greaterdiameter than the Width of the sections, of a binding rivet positionednear the beveled corner of one section and traversing the side platesand section to bind the side plates fixedly to one section, a secondrivet positioned near the opposite edge of the sections, having its axispositioned in the plane of the meeting ends of said sections and bindingthe said plates to said one section,

